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2000 Spanish Grand Prix
7 May |officialname = XLII Gran Premio Marlboro de España |circuit = Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit de Catalunya |location = Barcelona, Spain |circuittype = Permanent racing facility |lapdistance = 4.730 |laps = 65 |distance = 307.323 |pole = Michael Schumacher |polenation = GER |poleteam = |poletime = 1:20.974 |fastestlap = 1:24.470 |fastestlapdriver = Mika Häkkinen |fastestlapnation = FIN |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 28 |winner = Mika Häkkinen |winnernation = FIN |winnerteam = |second = David Coulthard |secondnation = GBR |secondteam = |third = Rubens Barrichello |thirdnation = BRA |thirdteam = }} The XLII Gran Premio Marlboro de España, otherwise known as the 2000 Spanish Grand Prix, was the fifth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona, Spain, on the 7 May 2000.'Spanish GP, 2000', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr651.html, (Accessed 02/09/2019) The race would see Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard claim a one-two for , as a mistake in the pits cost Michael Schumacher valuable time. Qualifying had seen Championship leader Schumacher emerge as the man to beat, securing pole position ahead of Häkkinen as they duelled for top spot. Their teammates Rubens Barrichello and Coulthard hence shared the second row, with Ralf Schumacher best of the rest for . The start saw Schumacher and Häkkinen continue their qualifying battle, jostling for the lead into the first corner. Schumacher ultimately emerged ahead having blocked any potential dive by the Finn, while his brother Ralf shot into third between Barrichello and Coulthard. Indeed, Ralf Schumacher's start was so strong that he inadvertently helped his brother, with a slide into the back of Häkkinen causing the McLaren to briefly slide sideways. Häkkinen hence had to recover and lost momentum, allowing Michael Schumacher to establish a small lead at the head of the field. Schumacher would continue to establish his lead during the opening stages of the race, while Häkkinen eased clear of Ralf Schumacher. The Williams-BMW hence found himself under assault from Barrichello and Coulthard, while Jacques Villeneuve drifted away in sixth, holding up Heinz-Harald Frentzen. The pit window opened on lap eighteen, beginning with Jenson Button making his first stop, with Villeneuve following him in. The Canadian would not last too long after his stop however, the setting fire to itself, although that was not enough to trigger a Safety Car. The leaders then began making their stops, beginning with Ralf Schumacher on lap 22, before Michael pulled in from the lead a lap later. Unfortunately Schumacher misjudged his pit-entry and hit refueller Nigel Stepney, dragging the Brit a few metres along the pit-apron. Schumacher lost a few seconds as Stepney was untangled and replaced, with the Brit taken to the medical centre with damaged ankle ligaments. That lost time ensured that, come the end of the pitstop phase, Schumacher had lost almost all of his lead, although he crucially remained ahead of Häkkinen. Behind the order remained Ralf Schumacher, Barrichello and Coulthard, with the Scot triggering the second round of stops on lap 41. This time Coulthard used the undercut to jump into third, while a slow stop for Schumacher gifted the lead to Häkkinen. The #3 Ferrari was hence left vulnerable to Coulthard, with Schumacher putting up a typically aggressive defence to keep the Scot at bay. Ultimately, however, there would be no stopping Coulthard, who duly slitered around the outside of the German at turn one, before storming away after Häkkinen. Schumacher was subsequently caught by his brother Ralf, although their fraternal squabble would ultimately result in Barrichello passing the pair of them. With that the race was over, with Häkkinen able to cruise through the final laps to claim his first win of the campaign. Coulthard duly claimed second ahead of a lonely Barrichello, while Ralf bested brother Michael in their fight to secure fourth. Button, meanwhile, was set to claim sixth, only for his BMW engine to fail late on, handing the final point to Frentzen. Background Michael Schumacher had finally been defeated in a Grand Prix in , although the German ace had still managed to finish on the podium. Schumacher hence left Britain with 34 points to his name, and therefore still held onto a twenty point lead at the head of the Championship hunt. David Coulthard was now his closest challenger ahead of Mika Häkkinen, while Rubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher completed the top five. In the Constructors Championship had finally seen their lead reduced after three straight victories, although the Scuderia had enhanced their tally to 43 points. were the team to do the damage, leaping onto 26 points after their one-two, although they were still seventeen points off the Scuderia. Behind, had moved into third ahead of , with completing the top five. Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Qualifying Report Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid ** de la Rosa was sent to the back of the grid for using illegal fuel. Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Button was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance. Milestones * Mika Häkkinen claimed his fifteenth career victory.'5. Spain 2000', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2000/espagne.aspx, (Accessed 02/09/2019) ** It was also the Finn's 40th podium finish. * secured their 125th win as a constructor. ** Engine partners claimed their 30th win. * Häkkinen recorded the 75th fastest lap for a driver using #1 as their race number.'2000 Spanish GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2000&gp=Spanish%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 02/09/2019) Standings Mika Häkkinen had scored his first win of the season, and hence moved up to second in the Championship hunt with 22 points. He was, however, still some fourteen points shy of Michael Schumacher at the head of the hunt, with the German ace the only driver to have scored in each of the opening five races. Behind, David Coulthard was two off of Häkkinen in third, with Rubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher completing the top five. In the Constructors Championship a second successive one-two for had ensured that they had eaten into 's lead, leaving Spain on 42 points. The Scuderia themselves still held a seven point advantage, although momentum seemed to be with their Anglo-German rivals. A hugely familiar gap then followed back to the team in third, which appeared in the form of , while had inched ahead of to secure fourth. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Grand Prix articles Category:2000 Grands Prix Category:Spanish Grand Prix